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May 1, 2018

Moment of Triumf in air defence

India is likely to ink Rs 40,000 crore contract with Russia for five
S-400 Triumf air defence missile systems before summit-level talks
between President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in
October.

The air defence missile systems can detect and destroy
hostile targets, including aircraft, missiles and drones at a range of
more than 400 kms and flying at an altitude of more than 35 kms.

China
has already started the process of induction of this Russian-built
system. Beijing had signed a Government-to-Government deal for six S-400
missile systems in 2014. If the Indian contract comes through, the
delivery of the systems will begin within 54 months from the date of
signing, sources said here on Monday.

Price negotiations between
India and Russia were in the final stages, said sources, adding the
proposed deal had figured during Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s
talks with her Russian counterpart during her visit to Moscow last
month.

The two countries had signed an agreement in principle
for the S-400 Triumf deal in 2016. Since then, negotiations were on
between the official delegations of two defence ministries.

The
S-400 is an upgraded version of the S-300 systems. The missile system is
manufactured by Almaz-Antey and is in service in Russia since 2007.
China was the first foreign country to opt for this advanced air defence
system and signed a contract for six such systems worth over three
billion dollars. Turkey has also shown interest in the Russian missile
system.

The Triumf system can
fire three types of missiles and will enhance the air defence
capabilities of India on the western border facing Pakistan and northern
border with China.

The missile air defence system can also
detect and destroy incoming medium range ballistic missiles. The
Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) had given the approval for procurement
of this air defence system in 2015. Putin-Modi summit in Goa in
October 2016 gave the nod for a Government-to-Government deal for it.

Equipped
with long range radars to track 100 to 300 targets simultaneously, the
S-400 has various kinds of supersonic and hypersonic missiles to
intercept the hostile missiles or aircraft or drones at different
ranges.

The proposed deal is likely to be inked amidst reports of
a US law that seeks to punish Russia for its alleged meddling in the
American presidential election in 2016.

Countering America’s
Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), which came into effect in
January this year, mandates the Donald Trump administration to punish
entities engaging in significant transaction with the defence or
intelligence establishment of Russia.

US Defence Secretary Jim
Mattis last week appealed to the Congress to urgently provide India the
national security waiver, saying imposing sanctions under CAATSA for the
S-400 air defence missile deal would only hit the US.